Barrow-in-Furness

Barrow-in-Furness' population shrunk in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in health, jobs and family life.

The population decreased

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Barrow-in-Furness fell by 4.0%, from almost 72,000 to 69,100.

The loss of just under 3,000 people means this area's population was the most rapidly-declining in the North West and was the most rapidly-declining across England.

In 2011, Barrow-in-Furness was home to, on average, 6.3 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was higher than the average across the North West

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across the North West, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Disablity in Barrow-in-Furness

This area saw the North West's largest fall in the proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

Across the region, Salford saw the next largest decrease in the proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability (from 6.4% in 2001 to 5.7% in 2011).

In 2011, just under 1 in 15 (6.6%) in Barrow-in-Furness reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities, compared with 7.4% in 2001. The percentage who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.7% to 5.3%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents that that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Changing household dynamics

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple increased in Barrow-in-Furness, but at a slower rate than all other local authority areas in the North West, except Hyndburn.

Every local authority area across the North West saw a rise in the proportion of households with an unmarried couple, as the regional average grew from 7.9% to 9.8%.

In 2011, just under 1 in 10 (9.7%) households in Barrow-in-Furness had an unmarried couple, compared with 9.1% in 2001. The percentage with just a single person increased from 30% to 35%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple was lower than across the North West

Percentage of households that that had an unmarried couple across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Barrow-in-Furness

The number of people in Barrow-in-Furness that described themselves as Muslim increased from just over 180 in 2001 to just over 170 in 2011. As a share of the total population, the percentage remained close to 0.3%.

Across the North West, the percentage of people from this religious group increased by from 3.0% to 5.1%, while across England the percentage went from 3.2% to 5.2%.

The number of people in Barrow-in-Furness that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 58,000 in 2001 to just under 49,000 in 2011 (from 81% to 71%). The number of people who described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 7,800 to just over 15,000 (from 11% to 22%).

About 4,400 people (7.6%) did not state their religion, down from about 5,500 in 2001 (6.4%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Muslim in Barrow-in-Furness remained close to 0.3%

Percentage of usual residents in England, North West and Barrow-in-Furness by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

More adults are separated from partners

This area saw the North West's third-largest rise in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

Across the region, only Fylde (from 11% to 13%) and Ribble Valley (from 9.3% to 11%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner.

During this period, Barrow-in-Furness overtook seven local authority areas, including Manchester and Oldham, to become the North West local authority area with the sixth-highest percentage of people who had divorced or separated.

In 2011, just over one in eight (13%) people aged 16 and over in Barrow-in-Furness said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner, compared with 11% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 53% to 47%.

The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was higher than across the North West

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in the North West and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Barrow-in-Furness residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 13% to 8.4% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (76%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 63% in 2001. The percentage of Barrow-in-Furness residents that described their health as fair decreased from 24% to 16%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the North West (from 11% in 2001 to 6.8% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Barrow-in-Furness decreased by 4.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Barrow-in-Furness, the North West and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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